CONTENTS.

Section 1. Introductory

Section 2. The Literary Faculty in the Native Mind

  Vivid imagination of the Indians.
  Love of story telling.
  Appreciation of style.
  Power and resources of their languages.
  Facility in acquiring foreign languages.
  Native writers in the English tongue.
  In Latin.
  In Spanish.
  Ancient books of Aztecs.
  Of Mayas, etc.
  Peruvian Quipus.

Section 3. Narrative Literature

  Desire of preserving national history.
  Eskimo legends and narratives.
  The Walum Olum of the Delawares.
  The Iroquois Book of Rites.
  Kaondinoketc's Narrative.
  The National Legend of the Creeks.
  Cherokee writings.
  Destruction of Ancient Literature.
  Boturini's collection.
  Historians in Nahuatl.
  The Maya Books of Chilan Balam.
  Other Maya documents.
  Writings in Cakchiquel.
  The Memorial de Tecpan Atitlan.
  Authors in Cakchiquel and Kiche.
  The Popol Vuh.
  Votan, the Tzendal.
  Writers in Qquichua.
  Letters, etc., in native tongues.
  Tales and stories of the Tupis and other tribes.

Section 4. Didactic Literature

  Progress of natives in science.
  Their calendars and rituals.
  Their maps.
  Scholastic works.
  Theological writers.
  Sermons in Guarani.
  Las Pasiones.

Section 5. Oratorical Literature

  Native admiration of eloquence.
  The Oratorical style.
  Custom of set orations.
  Specimens in the Nahuatl tongue.
  Ancient prayers and rhapsodies.

Section 6. Poetical Literature

  Form of the earliest poetry.
  Unintelligible character of primitive songs explained.
  A Chippeway love song.
  A Taensa epithalamium.
  Montaigne on Tupi poetry.
  Ancient Aztec poetry.
  Maya and Peruvian poems.
  Tupi songs.

Section 7. Dramatic Literature

  Development of the dramatic art in America.
  Origin of the serious and comic dramas.
  The Qquichua drama of Ollanta.
  The Kiche drama of Rabinal Achi.
  The Comic Ballet of the Gueegueence.
  The Logas of Central America.
  Dramas of the Mangues.

Section 8. Conclusion

  Ethnological value of literary productions.
  Their general interest to scholars.

Footnotes

Index

[Transcriber's Note: Footnotes have been moved from inline to end-of-text, and the above "Footnotes" section added.]

ABORIGINAL AMERICAN AUTHORS.

* * * * *

Section 1. Introductory.

When even a quite intelligent person hears about "Aboriginal American
Literature," he is very excusable for asking: What is meant by the term?
Where is this literature? In fine, Is there any such thing?

To answer such inquiries, I propose to treat, with as much brevity as practicable, of the literary efforts of the aborigines of this continent, a chapter in the general History of Literature hitherto wholly neglected.

Indeed, it will be a surprise to many to learn that any members of these rude tribes have manifested either taste or talent for scholarly productions. All alike have been regarded as savages, capable, at best, of but the most limited culture.

Such an opinion has been fostered by prejudices of race, by the jealousy of castes, and in our own day by preconceived theories of evolution. That it is erroneous, can, I think, be easily shown.

Let us first inquire into the existence of